Distributing mechanism of typographical composing machines



May 17, 1938.

T. R. CASTLE Filed Jan. 4, 1936 Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT orrieiz DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM OF TYPO- GRAPHIGAL COMIPOSING MACHINES tion of New York Application January 4, 1936, Serial No. 57,469 In Great Britain January 11, 1935 7 Claims.

This invention relates to the distributing mechanism of typographical composing machines such as those known commercially under the registered trade-mark Linotype. In such machines the distribution after casting of circulating matrices into the magazine from which they are composed in line prior to the casting operation is eifected by traversing the matrices along a ribbed distributor bar, the ribs of which are engaged by teeth on the matrices.

The standard distributing mechanism employs combinations of seven pairs of teeth on the matrices and seven pairs of ribs on the distributor bar, the maximum number of combinations available being 127. In modern machines having a series of main magazines for containing the ordinary text fonts, and one or more auxiliary magazines arranged alongside the main magazines for containing head-letter fonts, the use of a single distributor serving both the main and the auxiliary magazines involves a limitation of the capacity of the latter, because 92 of the available distributing combinations are needed for the normal text fonts of 90 characters and the additional main magazine channels usually provided, leaving only 34 distributing combinations for use with the auxiliary magazines, it being understood that the combination using all seven pairs of ribs and teeth is allocated to sorts 30 matrices not stored in the magazines.

The object of the present invention is to increase the capacity of the magazines, in a machine employing a single distributor as abovementioned, by rendering available the full number of the seven-tooth combinations for the auxiliary magazines as well as for the main magazines, without necessitating any material alteration in either the matrices or the distributor bar.

With this object in view the invention contemplates the use of notches, grooves or recesses, formed in the upper edge of each matrix in the vicinity of the upper ears on either side of the V- shaped distributing notch, said notches, grooves 45 or recesses being of variant form on matrices intended for the respective magazines, and adapted to cooperate, on the section of the distributor bar serving the main magazines, with laterally extending plates in the distributor bar located above 50 the upper edges of the matrices during their travel along the bar and formed with projections corresponding in form and adapted to be engaged with the notches of the matrices to be distributed into the auxiliary magazines.

55 One constructional form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an auxiliarymagazine matrix supported on a section of the distributor bar serving a main magazine, said 5 section being that seen from the left of Figure 4;

Figure 2 is a view, similar to Figure 1, showing the same section of the distributor bar with a main-magazine matrix in relation thereto; 10

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the matrix represented in Figure 1, shown in relation to a section of the distributor bar taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4, and

Figure 4 is a broken perspective view showing 5 two portions of the distributor bar appropriate respectively to a main magazine and an auxiliary magazine.

In the constructional form of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the single distributor 0 bar I for co-operation with two magazines arranged side-by-side, is of standard form throughout its length as regards the number and ar rangement of its ribs. For the purposes of the present invention, however, the portion of the bar serving the main magazine, has secured to it at each side a plate 2 terminating in a projection 3 which is inclined outwardly and downwardly through the plane traversed by the upper edges of the matrices 4, 5, as they are conveyed in the usual way along the distributor bar.

The matrix 4 is representative of the matrices stored in the auxiliary magazine, and diifers from matrices of standard form only in respect of the outwardly and downwardly inclined notches 6 provided in its upper edge. The notches 6 are in such a position as to be engaged by the projections 3 on the plates 2 of the distributor bar, during the travel of the matrices along the section of the bar serving the main magazine, as illustrated in Figure 1. The matrix 4 is formed with a tooth combination comprising only the first and second pairs of teeth, and is shown at that part of the distributor bar at which a matrix bearing such a tooth combination would be normally released, the rib combination of the bar at that part having the first and second pairs of ribs cut away. According to the constructional form of the invention under re view, however, such release of a matrix 4 is prevented by the engagement of the projections 3 within the notches 6, and the matrix is therefore carried over to the section 1 of the distributor bar which serves the auxiliary magazine. In Figure 3 the matrix 4 is represented at the part of the said bar section l at which it would be released, the rib combination at that part being identical with that on the main. magazine bar section at the part shown in Figure 1.

The matrix 5 represented in Figure 2 is formed with notches l in its upper edge which are open at the top. These open notches enable the matrix to be traversed along the bar out of engagement with the projections 3 and to pass downwardly clear of the said projections when the matrix reaches the appropriate rib combination on the bar. The matrix 5 bears the same tooth combination as the matrix 5 and is represented in Figure 2 at the part of the bar at which it would be released to the main magazine.

It will be understood that all the matrices for distribution to the main magazine will correspend with the matrix 5 in respect of the form of the notches l in their upper edges, and that the normal tooth-combinations of the matrixfont in use may be employed for efiecting their delivery to the proper channels of the main magazine. On the other hand, all the matrices for distribution to the auxiliary magazine will carry notches 5 in their upper edges corresponding with those of the matrix t illustrated, so that any desired number of the normal tooth combinations may be employed also for the matrixfont appropriate to the auxiliary magazine, irrespective of whether or not the same toothcombinations are used for the matrices of the font stored in the main magazine. Thus all the standard tooth combinations may be used in duplicate for the main and auxiliary magazines respectively.

t will be fiirther understood that any suitable form of overlying plate on the distributor and or" the cooperating matrix notches may be employed in carrying out the invention, those above described and illustrated in the drawing being given merely as convenient examples. For instance, the laterally extending plate frequently provided on one of the existing distributor bars to guard against tilting of the matrices may be adapted for the purpose of this invention and used in conjunction with a similar plate added to the opposite side of the bar.

Having described my invention, I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In or for a typographical composing and distributing machine, a plurality of sets of matrices comprising matrices in the different sets provided with identical distributing-tooth combinations of the standard seven-tooth variety and with notches in their upper edges difiering in form in the respective sets, said notches extending downwardly below the upper limits or" the tooth combinations.

2. In or for a typographical composing and distributing machine, two sets of matrices comprising matrices in the different sets provided with identical distributing-tooth combinations of the standard seven-tooth variety, the matrices of one set being formed in their upper edges with outwardly and downwardly inclined notches extending below the upper limits of the tooth combinations, and the matrices of the other set being formed in their upper edges with open notches extending downwardly below the upper limits of the tooth combinations.

3. In or for a typographical composing and distributing machine, a continuous distributor bar comprising two sets of identical rib combinations of the standard seven-rib variety at respectively different parts of the bar, a plate secured at each side of the bar above the rib combinations of one of the said sets, and projections on the plates extending outwardly and downwardly at the sides of said rib combinations below the upper limits thereof.

4. In or for a typographical composing and distributing machine, the combination of two sets of matrices each set comprising matrices with identical tooth combinations of the standard seven-tooth variety and notches in their upper edges differing in form in the respective sets, a continuous distributing bar having identical rib combinations at different parts of its length adapted to distribute matrices of the two setsto different magazines, a plate secured at each side of the bar above the rib combinations appropriate to one set of matrices, and inclined projections on the plates extending downwardly below the upper limits of said rib combinations through the plane traversed by the upper edges of the matrices on the bar adapted to engage within the notches of the matrices of the said one set and to clear the notches of the matrices of the other set.

5. In or for a typographical composing and distributing machine, the combination of a continuous distributor bar comprising a first section appropriate to one magazine and a second section appropriate to another magazine with identical distributing rib combinations of the standard seven-rib variety included in each of the two sections, a set of matrices adapted to be distributed by each section of the bar and formed with distributing tooth-combinations of the standard seven-toeth variety including identical combinations in the two sets, outwardly and downwardly inclined notches in the upper edges of the matrices of one of said sets and located outside the marginal limits of the tooth combinations, open recesses in the upper edges of the matrices of the other of said sets and located outside the marginal limits of the tooth combinations, and means on the first section of the distributor bar adapted to engage said notches,

6. In or for a typographical composing and distributing machine, a continuous distributor bar comprising a first section appropriate to one magazine, a second section appropriate to another magazine, identical distributing rib combinations of standard form included in each of the two sections, and supplemental matrix-engaging means secured to the said first section above the rib combinations and extending downwardly at the sides thereof and below the upper limits thereof.

'7. In or for a typographical composing and distributing machine, a plurality of sets of matrices each formed in its upper edge with a V-shaped notch containing a distributing tooth combination of the standard seven-tooth variety, the tooth combinations in the matrices of one set being identical with those in the matrices of another set, and said matrices being also formed in their upper edges with notches differing in form in the respective sets, the latter notches being located between the V-shaped notches and the side edges of the matrices and extending downwardly below the upper limits of the tooth combinations.

THOR [AS RICHARD CASTLE. 

